BRAIN POWER VS DELIVERABLES: Should the “now” take precedence over the “why”?

Deliverables aren’t everything when it comes to getting your project completed. While deliverables will give you a tangible item to consider within the broader context of your project, the deliverable is only the result. For a successful outcome, time and brainpower have gone into designing and creating the deliverable. Clients should make an effort to recognize the brainpower and creativity that has gone into the project as a whole, instead of getting bogged down in just deliverables.

What is a deliverable?

A deliverable could be defined in several ways. It is an element that fits within the broader scope of a project. Deliverables are both tangible and something provided by an agency. A website, article, PDF, or graphic are all examples of deliverables. While deliverables are essential to project completion, they aren’t the only thing that has gone into ensuring the project is a success.

Deliverables don’t manifest out of thin air. Someone had to use their time and brainpower to create and design the deliverable before giving it to the client. When it comes to a project’s ultimate success, it is the outcome of the deliverable that is key.

What are outcomes?

Outcomes in project management are the ultimate consequences of time investment, brainpower, and the project deliverable’s impact on the job. In essence, outcomes - the end-result of the brainpower that has gone into the project - are business benefits.

Why do clients often fail to recognize brain power over deliverables?

With brainpower and outcomes vs. deliverables, it’s easy to see in theory how these two things are different and why it’s essential to focus on one over the other. But it’s human nature to want to see immediate returns on investment, i.e., in the form of a tangible item. Unfortunately, the “now” can take precedence over the “why,” or big picture with a project. Also, it’s easier for clients to show their superiors that they’ve gotten something for the project with a tangible item to show them.

For clients, it’s so easy to lose sight of the big picture with a project due to a range of different factors, some of which may be high-pressure and stressful. Companies often lose sight of their “why,” let alone the purpose of a big project. Agencies often hear things from their prospective clients like, “We needed a company brochure yesterday,” or “last week was when I needed that eBook.” When agencies hear this, they often react in a knee-jerk fashion, cramming a bunch of design and development deliverables into a short period. But this comes with many risks:

• The deliverables will not align with the brand’s core values

• The brand will not be well-positioned with deliverables that aren’t well-thought-out

• Target personas will not be adequately defined

• Deliverables may not be functional or offer emotional benefits 

When clients get bogged down in deliverables, they risk losing the main objective of the project. Time and brainpower must take precedence. For projects of small and broad scope, the process must be valued over tangible items.

The end.

PURPOSEFUL CREATIVITY: Brands Must Find Their Why and Prioritize It

A purpose-driven brand is a successful brand. In today’s highly competitive business world, how do you stand out from the crowd? Modern consumers care about more than just your products and services. They want to work with brands that have found their “why” and are prioritizing it. Taking your brand to the next level of success means finding a sense of purpose - a purpose that makes a strong connection with your audience.

The “Why” is Important

Your brand’s “why” or purpose, will have a significant impact on how consumers view your specific company within the wider marketplace. Ultimately, a brand’s “why” becomes the ethos of its success. How you determine your “why” and market that purpose should align with who you are, and the spirit of your company. This definition or purpose is the driving force behind the connection with your ideal customer. Build a better brand when you define your unique “why.”

Brand Purpose: A Definition 

At its core, brand purpose is your reason for starting a business and what you and your company stand for in the first place. Sometimes, brand purpose is referred to as a “North Star” or “why.” Your “why” is the heart of your brand purpose, but that’s not all. Brand purpose is also about how you serve not just your customers, but your greater community. What are the unmet human needs your brand can fulfill?

When determining your brand purpose, it’s best to look at the matter holistically. How does your company represent your core values, and create value for your target audience, partners, and community? Purposeful creativity and North Stars boil down to how everyone touched by the company thrives together.  

Prioritize Your “Why” for Greater Results 

In the end, you’re brand is serving people with real needs and desires. Having a well-defined brand purpose will make your company stand out from the crowd and speak to your target audience and the community members you serve. People are drawn to the fact that their purchase can do more than simply get them access to the goods and services they want. Your brand purpose will make them feel like an integral part of something much more significant. With a brand purpose, you:

• Demonstrate that your brand is more than its products

• Show customers that your brand thinks beyond the next advertising campaign

• Inform customers that your brand goes beyond merely turning a profit, but wants to make a difference

We’re living in a post-consumerist age, where people are far more conscious about the products they buy and the companies they do business with. Consumers want brands to do more than just sell products or services. They want brands to stand for something bigger than their bottom line.  

Brands that inspire, believe in something, and make a positive impact in the world will reach a greater level of success than companies without a brand purpose. By prioritizing your “why,” you’ll forge a greater connection with your core audience, and build lasting relationships with your customers.

WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT, A GREAT BRAND OR A GREAT PRODUCT?

They say that perception is reality, and when it comes to having a great brand versus a great product, this adage becomes even more profound.

In marketing, both offline and online, there are two competing schools of thought. In University 1, marketers believe that the product is more critical to a company's success. Students and professors of University 2 diverge, thinking that brand is more important than the product. Here, we're proponents of the University 2 school of thought - that having a great brand is more important than selling superior products.
 
Why do more people believe that having a great product is the key to a company's success?
Logically, it makes sense that a great product comes before a great brand. The thinking goes that the product comes first, then a great marketing strategy is built around the product to influence perception. If a company has a superior product, then the goal of the marketing department is to communicate the product's unique features and benefits effectively.
 
It's simple, logical, and intuitive that a company would first develop a superior product and then work on developing a marketing or branding strategy to move the product. But while this may seem accurate on its face, this line of thinking completely ignores a key component of human nature; that perception is reality.
 
Why is the brand more important than the product?
It's counterintuitive, but having a great brand is more important than having a great product. Why? Because of perception. In reality, there are no "facts," when it comes to which product is better. There are only perceptions that your target customers hold that drive their purchasing decisions. Think about the ongoing feud between Apple and Microsoft supporters or the iPhone versus the Android. It's impossible to pin down which product is factually superior, as opposed to which product the customers perceive as being better.
 
Also, which is easier? Creating a "better" energy drink than the most famous of all energy drinks, Red Bull, or changing people's perception of Red Bull? Perception is not only the key to creating a "superior" product and building a great brand; perception is also difficult to change. Once someone's perception of a brand is established, it's hard to change it. Unless a great brand does something idiotic, it's nearly impossible to damage a customer's positive perception of a brand.
 
What do businesses need to create perception and build a great brand?

• Differentiation - It's better for brands to be different than to have a superior product.

• Believability - Become a market leader to influence positive perception.

For businesses, establishing positive perception in their target audience's minds is the way to build a great brand. And a great brand is superior to having a great product. But this isn't binary. Product is also essential to a company's ultimate success; it's just not as important as great branding.

What do you think is more important?